IT SEEMS Starsky and Hutch are not the only 1970s legends making a comeback.

This Easter don't be surprised if you see a gang of oversized 30-somethings flying around Oldham on a bike that summed up the era as much as Kevin Keegan's perm and Star Wars - The Chopper.

But as anyone who has ever ridden one will tell you, they'll have to be careful!

Since it was announced a couple of weeks ago that the bike every child had to have was being put back into production, Skidmores Cycles, of Union Street, Oldham has been inundated with telephone calls from people wanting to get their hands on one.

And not one enquiry has been from a child.

Shop owner Malcolm Skidmore, who took over running the shop when Chopper sales were being eclipsed by The Grifter, in 1979, said: "I've ordered 20 of the bikes and although they don't arrive until just before Christmas I've already sold half of them and I don't think I'll have any trouble getting rid of the rest."

"It's a retro thing. All the bikes I've sold have been to adults who will be reminiscing. I don't think many of them will get used because they are too small. They'll probably end up on someone's wall."

The new lightweight Chopper comes in red and is priced £199. Improvements include brakes that actually work - the original version suffered because its disc brakes would never lock.

One extra conspicuous by its absence is the famous gear stick on the crossbar. It has been replaced by a swivel gear on the handlebars.

As Malcolm explains, not an altogether bad option.

He said: "Because Choppers had such big seats everyone used to ride around with two people on them. When the bike came to a stop the person in front used to slide off the seat and that is when the injury occurred."